Live, Laugh, Love
by MyLivingAdonis
Summary: Bella Swan is a selfless and intelligent girl who always puts others first. She has always had a love-hate relationship with Edward Cullen a.k.a. childhood friend and best friend's brother. What happens when the 'hate' begins to fade?
1. Prologue

**AN: Hi. I know you all probably hate me at this moment for not updating Scrubs for about a month or so. I really want you guys to stick with me here, not that you have a reason to. -sheepish expression- I just had a great story idea which I have been pondering over for a while. I would love it if you gave it a try. Please, and I'll try to update Scrubs ASAP. Disclaimer on profile.**

_Renee's POV_

"Bella sweetheart, don't go too far!" I told my four year old daughter whom I took to the park that Saturday afternoon with Esme and her children.

"Don't worry mommy, I'll be right here," she motioned to the sandbox, "With Alice." Alice flashed me a smile and waved.

I laughed and waved back.

For a four year old, Bella was extremely bright. She had read many of Jane Austen's novels by her fourth birthday, and now I started to teach her how to do the multiplication tables until thirteen. Bella is a very sweet child, selfless and independent. She is always happy, with her wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes making her look adorable.

"Aren't you the sweetest?" Esme crooned to Melanie, my second born child, who turned one a few months ago. Bella loved her so much.

She giggled happily, her soft caramel colored curls bouncing when I tickled her toes, just like I did with Bella when she was this little. A few minutes later, Melanie's hazel eyes closed, indicating she was asleep. "How are the children doing?" I asked my best friend since college days, Esme.

She smiled and said, "Well, Alice is hyper as ever, as you probably know already," she let out a small laugh. "So I decided to put her into gymnastics three times a week. It helps her let go of all of that energy she always has pent up inside her."

I laughed. Alice was Bella's best friend practically since birth. They have always been inseparable. I often get the 'will Alice be there?' whenever we have to go out somewhere. Bella says that Alice looks like Tinkerbelle with black hair, which is absolutely correct.

"And I put Edward into piano lessons twice a week. It's amazing how much he can do. I think he has a natural talent," Esme mused.

Edward is Alice's lovable twin brother. He is a beautiful little boy with auburn hair and emerald green eyes. He is very intellectual, even for a four year old. He and Bella have a love-hate relationship most of the time. Mainly because of competition in to see who is the smartest. Esme and I find it very amusing watching the two four year olds interact like that. At the same time, we keep on hoping that they would become friends, so as they get older there won't be any rivalry.

"He'll be the perfect gentleman, I'll tell you that Esme," I said, referring to Edward.

"A mother can hope," she said jokingly. "How's Bella? Still enjoying those books?"

"I tell you she'll probably have read every book in the house by the end of this year," I said.

"That's wonderful, Renee. Her reading habits are remarkable."

"I just hope it stays that way," we stopped to look at the children. Bella and Alice were making a castle in the sandbox. I made a note to myself to make sure Bella takes another shower tonight. Edward and Emmett were playing with the play cranes and cars. "Emmett's grown," I commented.

"There isn't a time when he doesn't," Esme said. "He keeps on growing, imagine what will happen when he's thirteen!" Emmett was Esme's oldest child, a year older than Alice, Edward, and Bella. He was very verbal; but adorable, too. At five years old, he had the most adorable dimples, curly brown hair, and blue eyes.

We started talking about our jobs and the children's school for kindergarten next year, momentarily glancing to make sure all four children were accounted for and Melanie was still asleep.

I told Esme about the new veterinarian clinic I was planning on opening in Forks itself. Since it was a developing community, more commercial activity was taking place.

In the middle of Esme's story about the client she worked for as their interior designer, I heard a soft sob come from Bella. I looked to see what was wrong, and I saw her clutching her hand in pain, but with only a few tears. I hated to see my Bella in pain. I immediately got up to go and take care of her, preparing to give Melanie to Esme, when Esme said, "Renee, don't go anywhere yet. Let them try to solve it themselves."

I reluctantly sat down and watched the scene unfold before me. Alice was jumping around asking her if she was okay. She nodded her head, but she looked hurt. Bella was still tearing while Edward saw her and came up to her. Thankfully they were still in hearing distance.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, in an inquisitive voice.

"I fell down from the monkey bars and scraped my hand on the cement," she answered.

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"I thought you thought girls had cooties," she sniffed.

"Pretty girls don't," he said and grabbed her hand and kissed it. Bella looked shocked, but better than she was before. "Better?" he asked.

"Much." She smiled.

Esme and I were almost tears as we watched what happened. It was so innocent and pure.

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

**AN: So what do you think? It's a little different, but I thought I might give it a shot. I have lots of plans for this story, and I'll try to update Scrubs soon, really! I would love it if you could review, and then I'll decide on whether or not I should go on. As I said, many plans for this one. So, PLEASE review, thanks!**


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: I'll be hoping for more reviews this chapter. I know the Prologue wasn't much, but I assure you it will get better. Here's the 1st chapter! **

Age 13

_Bella's POV_

"Okay, what is the height of honesty?"

"Um… uh… a pregnant woman paying for one and a half tickets?"

I groaned. "No, Alice. I am talking about the height of honesty in the _story we read in class_," I said. "Not the Modern Height jokes."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Okay Miss Smarty Pants," she pondered for a little while, and then after a while she sighed. "I don't know."

"Okay, the height of honesty is that Liz confessed to the teacher that she cheated on the test. Got it?" I asked her.

Alice repeated what I told her twice. "Yeah."

We continued doing our review questions for our English final tomorrow. It was the final for the grading period, so it was a big part of our final grade.

As I was in the middle of a critical thinking question, Alice disrupted my train of thought by saying, "Bella this isn't fair. You are in AP English and I am in regular classes. How am I supposed to know all of this?"

"Well Alice, all of the English classes, AP or not, have the same final to study for. Hence you are taking the same test as me tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes but then smiled. "Its not like you _have _to study. You'll ace it anyway."

I smiled. "Thanks Alice, but I just want to review. Just in case, you know. You should, too. Esme told me to make sure you do," I said.

Even though she could be annoying at times, Alice has been my best friend since childhood. She was shorter than me by about four inches and was a ball of energy. My mom said I referred to her as the Tinkerbelle with black hair when I was little, which was proven to be correct. Alice was very pretty and petite.

After a few hours of homework and studying in Alice's room, we were finally done. We were about to go downstairs when Alice tripped, which she has been doing a lot of lately. "Ugh, I hate these glasses. If I forget to put them on for a second, I fall over cause I can't see! I am so asking mom for contacts," she huffed.

I just laughed and handed her the glasses. "Its okay, Alice. We all have our nuisances. My braces, for example. They make me look like a geek."

"It's okay, Bella. We can be geeks together then!" She looped her hand through mine, and lead me out of the room with her.

As we walked down the stairs, I heard voices in the kitchen. When we walked in, I saw my mom and Esme conversing quietly.

"Hey mom," I said. "Hi Esme." I turned back to my mom, Renee. "We're all done. Where's Melanie?"

"She at soccer practice, honey." My mom replied.

"Oh. Okay," I said. "Do does that mean we can stay a while longer?"

My mom and Esme laughed in unison. "Yes Bella. But only for half and hour. Melanie's practice ends in an hour, and I need to head back to the clinic for an hour." My mother had two veterinary clinics. She had one in Forks, and another branch in Seattle.

"Okay mom, thanks." I said, and Alice squealed pulled me upstairs with her.

On our way up the familiar set of stairs, I saw Edward coming down the stairs with his basketball uniform and gym bag. "Hey Four Eyes. Hey Brace Face," he smirked.

Alice and I exchanged a glance. "Hey Eddie," we said in unison. I was our routine way of greeting each other every day. Edward was Alice's twin brother. They looked nothing alike, being fraternal twins. He was tall and muscular. He had messy auburn hair, and striking green eyes. Edward was very charismatic and charming, yet annoyingly perfect and irritable to me at the same time. All the girls at school were always swooning over him.

Ever since we were little kids, Edward and I had a love-hate relationship. At one moment we were in a heated argument over some academic thing at school, and the next moment we made up. Me being Bella, I couldn't stay mad at one person for too long, otherwise I was going down guilt road.

"I've got to go for a game," Edward said. "Bye Bella." And he dashed down the stairs.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Did you do your homework?" she yelled at him before he got to the bottom.

"Yeah, Alice," he said back. "I should be asking you that."

She did a more exaggerated eye roll this time. "Whatever, Brainiac."

Yes, Edward was smart. He was in all of the AP classes with me.

Alice's voice through me out of my train of thought. "Ugh, I hate that we have uniforms this year!"

Forks Community Schools had one of the best educational programs in Washington, so the state took over them and made them prep schools. So, even in middle schools, we had AP classes.

And we had uniforms, which consisted of polo's in any color of our choice. We had to wear khaki or plaid skirts to school. Knee high socks were mandatory with black or brown Mary Jane flats. I personally didn't have a problem with them except that girls had to wear skirts in the winter too, but they kept everyone looking equal.

Alice, however, loved fashion. And this was possibly the "worst thing that could ever happen" to her.

"I know Alice. You have told me that numerous times. At least you can wear any color polo you want." I tried to be optimistic.

"Yeah, I know. But no jewelry!"

"Don't worry, Alice. When we get out of high school, you'll be free wear what you like."

She looked at me incredulously. "That's in five years!"

I was about to calm her down when I hear my mother's voice. "Bella! We have to go now!"

"Okay, mom. Coming!"

Alice and I went downstairs again. We said our goodbyes and I got into my mom's Lexus's passenger seat after putting my backpack in the back seat.

While we were driving, my mom asked me, "How was school today?"

"It was good. Ms. Fox said I could take AP English at the high school next year," I smiled.

"Bella that's wonderful! This is a great opportunity!"

"I hope it isn't too hard though." I was a little worried.

"Bella, if your teacher thinks you are good enough to skip two years of English, then there is no reason to worry," she reassured me. "I bet there is no one else in your grade who can take an AP high school course next year in eighth grade."

"Actually there is," I sighed. "Edward is taking AP Bio at the high school next year."

"Oh Bella, its fine. Edward wants to be doctor like his father, and it is his strong subject." Our parents always wanted us to get along.

"Yeah, I'm happy for him." And the truth is, I really was.

When we got to Melanie's soccer practice, it was still going on. So my mom and I waited in the car, not wanting to go out in the chilly November air. I watched Melanie score a goal, and smiled.

Melanie was my ten year old sister. She is in fourth grade right now, three years younger than me. She was a great soccer player, it came naturally to her. She was very pretty with caramel colored hair with naturally soft curls. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of hazel and had gold specks in them.

Melanie was very strong and hard headed. She didn't take nonsense from anyone, and stood up for herself. There was really no reason for me to worry about her, except in studies. Melanie was smart, but her mind revolved completely around sports. She was a swimmer and runner too, and at fourth grade that was a lot of pressure. She won the best athlete award in school, too.

Melanie had a very close relationship with my dad, like I did with my mom. They were always talking about sports, and went on daily jogs together in the summer. My dad, Charlie, was a lawyer, he had a law firm in Seattle and a law office in Forks. He helped me a lot with History and Math when I had trouble with it, and my mom helped me with English and Science.

"Bella, dad's going to drop you off to tennis on Thursday, okay? I have a doctor's appointment." My mom broke me out of my train of thought.

"Oh, okay, mom," I said. Tennis was the only sport I played. But since we didn't have it in middle school, I was practicing to be on the Varsity team in ninth grade. My parents had told me when I was ten that I had to choose a sport for high school credits, so I chose tennis since it wouldn't interfere with my studies that much. It was really just an extra activity for me, not major like soccer was for Mel.

Suddenly I heard the back door open and Melanie got in. "Hey mom, hey Bella," she said.

"Hi sweetheart," my mom said. "You must be freezing. There's an extra sweater in the trunk."

"Okay," Melanie went and retrieved the sweater and got in.

While we were on our way home, I asked Melanie, "Did you finish your homework in study hall?"

"Yeah, I just need you to proofread my English paper."

"Okay, good," I said. Melanie needed some motivation when it came to studies, but she did quite well in school.

We reached the house a few minutes later, and Melanie dashed inside to take a shower. Our house was three stories, and made of brick. My mom had a bunch of Thanksgiving decorations put outside, which made the house look very colorful.

I went to the trunk of the car to get my backpack, and headed inside. My dad was home, so I went to go greet him. I saw him and my mom in the kitchen talking about work. "Hey dad," I went up to my dad and hugged him.

"Hey kiddo." He said. "How was school?"

"Pretty good…" and I told him the same thing I told my mom in the car today about AP classes.

"That's great Bells," he said, using the nickname he came up for me. "I'm really proud of you."

"We both are, Bella," my mom smiled and kissed my cheek. "Now go and change out of your uniform and wash up. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay mom," I said and went up the stairs to my room. On my way up the stairs, I hear my mom say to my dad, _"You too, mister. I don't want you in your work clothes at the dinner table." _She scolded.

"_Yes ma'am."_ I bet he saluted her and received a smack upside his head.

My parents were very loving and fun. Except when it came to studies. They were very strict with us on that.

I went up to my room and set my backpack on the chair by my desk. My room had a green and blue theme, and it was very colorful. My mom loved decorating our rooms when we moved into this house.

I went to my chest of drawers and got my pajamas out. Melanie was done, so I went for a quick shower. Our rooms were connected by a bathroom that we both shared.

I got out and brushed my hair after making sure I did all of my homework for school tomorrow. I made sure my backpack was set, and then went to eat dinner.

I helped my mom lay the plates and then we all sat down to eat. While we were eating, my mom said, "Girls, Mrs. Smith came to the clinic for her dog's check up today. She said that she saw you two at the Community Center while you were doing the service project. She said you were the most well behaved there."

"Tell her thanks," Melanie said briskly.

"_And_ tell her that it was kind of her to say that," I added. Melanie was never one for proper thank you's.

We talked with our parents while eating, and then everyone went to sleep after that.

--

_Beep Beep Beep…_

I rolled over and shut my alarm clock off. Melanie was still sleeping since she started school later than me. I got out my uniform for the day, a yellow polo and a khaki skirt. After taking my shower and putting on my clothes, I pinned up my wavy hair on both sides with bobby pins. After it was untangled and fresh looking, I got on my brown and off-white knee high argyle socks, and headed downstairs with my backpack.

"Hey mom," I said as I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Bella," she said. "You look pretty today. I'm almost done making your breakfast, would you go and wake up Melanie for me?"

"Sure," I went up the stairs and entered Melanie's room. It was painted dark pink and had blue accents around the room. I gently shook Melanie who was sleeping soundly.

"Melanie," I crooned softly. "Time to wake up."

She opened her eyes slowly, and smiled. "Hey Bella," she said and sat up.

"I guess I should get ready for school now," she said.

"Yeah. See you in the afternoon. I'll probably be gone by the time you are ready."

"Okay, Bella. Bye," she said and went into the bathroom.

I went back downstairs and my mom had my breakfast ready for me. Strawberry pancakes. "These are really good, mom," I said. "Where's dad?"

"He had to leave early for work today. He needs to be in the office for a meeting."

"Oh, okay."

I finished my breakfast, and there were about ten minutes to spare before I had to go out and wait for the bus. I brushed my teeth upstairs, wore my Mary Jane flats, got my suede coat on and came down to say bye to my mom.

"Have a great day!" Mom said from the kitchen.

"Thanks!" I said back and walked out the door with my backpack.

When I got to school, it seemed as if Alice and Edward's bus had already arrived. Alice was waiting bye the sidewalk so we could go in together.

"Hey Bella!" Alice said.

"Hi Alice," I replied. Our lockers were right next to each other, so Alice was talking the whole time uninterrupted about what she could do to accessorize her school uniform without breaking any school rules.

The beginning of the day went by as usual, even though I was a little nervous about my English final. In the end it was really easy, so I felt relieved after I took it.

The last period of the day was French. Edward sat next to me in that class. He was in most of my classes anyway. We had a substitute teacher, and he really wasn't keen on teaching us anything, so he just told us to have a free period.

After he said that, I got out my copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and started reading. Then a voice out of the very many talking people broke me out of my thoughts on the story. "How many times have you read that book, Bella?" It was Edward's voice.

I looked at him. "Numerous times."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's a really good book. You should read it sometime," I waited for his answer. It would most probably be sarcastic or witty, as that's how we talked to each other a lot.

"Hah. I don't need to read. I'm naturally smart." No surprise there.

"Get over yourself, Romeo."

He laughed. "So who's Juliet?"

I was about to comeback with a witty reply, but the bell rang.

"Guess you'll never know." I said as we walked down the hall.

Edward's locker was on the other side of the hall so he said, "Bye Bella."

"Bye Romeo." I laughed.

--

The rest of the week went by normally, and my dad dropped me off to tennis practice Thursday since my mom had a doctor's appointment.

Angela's mom dropped me off home because my dad was in a meeting. Angela was a close friend of mine who played tennis with me, and was a good friend in school.

When I got home, I was surprised to see my dad's car in the garage. Then I heard someone crying from the living room. I rushed over to see who it was. It was my mom crying, curled into my father's chest. My father looked distressed.

"What happened?" I asked, extremely concerned. Melanie came down, too.

"Sit down girls, I have something to tell you." My mom said after wiping away her tears and sitting up straight.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"I…I have cancer."

**AN: So there it is. I hate to put drama in the first chapter like this, but this is essential for the storyline.** **I really hope you enjoyed it. I haven't ever done a thirteen year old POV before, so this is my first time with that.** **Reviews are greatly appreciated, and they really motivate me to continue. So, feel free to ask questions and please review! **


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and more reviews would be amazing. Thank you for those of you who reviewed. I changed the summary just a bit, so it would make it less misleading. **

**Live, Laugh, Love**

_"I…I have cancer."_

--

_Bella's POV_

Age 13

Since my mom announced she had cancer, every waking moment I spent with her was cherished greatly. My family and I were crushed.

Since Forks was such a small town, the news spread like wildfire. We were getting sympathy cards and whatnot everyday at our doorstep. My mom's vet clinic was taken over by her colleague, and so many of her patient's owners knew about her cancer.

School was a different story, though. I refused to be pulled out of school, like my principal suggested. Melanie was all for it, but my dad didn't let her. All my teachers and classmates knew, so they acted differently around me. I thought that it was sweet, but I didn't need that extra attention, so I loaded myself up with as much as work as possible. I ended up passing my standardized test with honors this year.

Alice, Edward, and Emmett were very comforting. Emmett was Alice and Edward's older brother by two years. He was a freshmen. Emmett was extremely big and muscular, quite intimidating actually, but he was a ball of fuzz inside. He was extremely funny, and always tried to cheer me up. Like his brother and sister, Emmett was very striking. He has curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors said that it had quickly become a stage three, and so she was in chemotherapy and admitted into the hospital.

It was already April, and there was another test being done on my mom today. They were going to see how much more treatment she needed. My dad and Melanie were getting something to eat. I was sitting on a chair beside my mom's bed, trying my best not to cry. It was after school and I was trying to do my homework, while my mom was resting.

She had becoming weaker and weaker these past few months. Every time I saw her, I thought, _Why does it have to be her? _My mom doesn't deserve this. She is perhaps the most compassionate person I know. Full of life, full of knowledge. Everyone loves her. _Why does it have to be her? _I keep thinking.

While we are at school, my mom gets many visitors. Many of her patients' owners and close friends visit frequently. Mrs. Cullen, or Esme, comes every day to visit her best friend. My mom and Esme have been best friends since college. Esme is close to my mom, and so this news hit her as hard as it did to us as family. They end up talking for hours together, until my mom has to rest, or school ends.

My mom's doctor, Dr. Lin's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Mrs. Swan, we have the test results."

I hadn't realized that my mom was awake until now. "And?" Mom said expectantly, a smile gracing her lips. Even though this wasn't the best of circumstances, she was always optimistic.

Before Dr. Lin could speak, my dad and Mel walked in. Dad went to my mother's side and held her hand, while Mel came to my side and sat down on another chair. Dr. Lin opened her mouth to speak again. "As you know, we just got our test results." Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Your cancerous tumor is now a stage four. We are going to try anything and everything to remove it. If all else fails, we expect that you have three months to live, Mrs. Swan. I'm sorry."

I gasped and looked at my mom. Her eyes were closed. When she opened them, tears fell relentlessly down her face. Tears started brimming my eyes too, and soon enough, I broke down into sobs.

"There's nothing we can do?" My dad asked. I noticed he had started crying too. I never saw him cry, except the time our grandparents passed.

"We have tried everything we could so far. The cancer is just too strong, and it is spreading to her bones." Dr. Lin looked apologetic.

My father nodded. Then Dr. Lin said, "I'll give you some privacy," and walked out the door.

--

Ever since we received the rattling news, I had not been able to focus on anything, knowing that my mother was dying. I cried for days on end, and my spring break was spent in the hospital beside my mother.

Mel and I quit all extra-curricular activities, and we started taking classes on the weekend so we could perhaps get out of school early this year. Our principal suggested that we do it.

My poor father still had to work, take care of us, and be there for my mom. Mom kept telling him that he was working himself too hard, but he refused and said that it was for the best.

So now, I was in my room on a Saturday afternoon, just thinking. My mom was getting some tests done, and the doctors said that we shouldn't be there. After a lot of protesting from Mel and I, our dad had to take us home, saying that we could come back later.

The whole time through my mom's distress, our family had been a mess. In the beginning, I kept on denying the fact that my mother would… die. Now I was actually starting to think of the possibility.

Tears brimmed my eyes for the hundredth time this week. I tried to hold them back, but I gave up. There was no point, and I just let them flow. A few minutes later, I calmed myself down a little, but not much.

I saw the handle on my door turn, and I quickly wiped away my tears with a tissue. Much to my surprise, in came Esme, followed by Alice.

Esme took one look at my face and walked over to me saying, "Oh Bella." She sat on my bed and put her arms around me. I tried to smile for her, but I'm sure it came out as a grimace.

Silently, Alice came over to the other side of my bed, laid her head on my shoulder and held my hand.

Esme sighed. "Bella sweetheart, I'm sure you know that your mother and I were best friends, right?"

She looked at me. I managed to choke out an audible, "Yes."

She smiled, probably thinking about the good times my mother and her had together. My mom had told me some pretty crazy stories about what she and Esme did in college. They weren't typical, like getting drunk and doing drugs, but more like protesting against animal cruelty by turning vegetarian, and boycotting classes until their college decided to put in fluorescent lights to save energy.

"I remember when Renee decided to go to vet school and I decided to go to the school for the arts, we cried and cried, because we were going to separate sides of the country. Renee told me that we would always keep in touch, until we were old and graying grannies," she let out a small chuckle. I smiled; for the first time in weeks. I heard Alice's tinkling laugh beside me.

"She told me that our children would grow up together, live on the same block, and we would watch them grow up into better people than we were. All of that is happening now. Why, Bella? Because fate decides it," Esme took a deep breath. "Your mother is a wonderful person, Bella. It hurts me as much as it hurts you to see her like this. You are lucky to have her as your mother, and so is Melanie. Whatever fate decides, it will be for the best. You and I both agree that she doesn't deserve this. But sometimes things don't always go as planned. I want you to know that we are here for you, Bella. No matter what happens." I saw a stray tear fall down Esme's face.

She hugged be tightly, and said, "We love you, Bella. You're my daughter." I knew she meant it. Esme was so genuine, it hurt to be mean or cruel to her.

"And you're my sister I never had," Alice whispered.

"Thank you both so much," I said. "It really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, dear. Now go get washed up so we can go see your mother in the hospital. Charlie and Melanie are already there, I told them we'd go together," Esme smiled.

I walked into the bathroom, thinking how lucky I was to have people such as my family, Esme, and Alice in my life.

We got to the hospital, by second home these days, in about ten minutes. Inside, I saw my mother and Melanie talking softly. When Esme, Alice, and I walked in, my mom and I looked at us and said, "Esme! I was just telling Melanie about the time we skipped class one day to go see Abba's benefit concert for the sea turtles. Do you remember?"

Esme smile brightly. "Of course! And then we convinced half of the student body to come…"

And so the five of us sat in the hospital room talking about out mother's college days. I held my mom's hand through it all. We smiled, laughed, but not once did we cry.

That was when I changed my mind; I decided that instead of being miserable and making everyone else miserable around me, I would stay positive about the situation, and not once regret it.

--

Days went on, and although my mom's condition was becoming worse, not once did I drown in my own misery about it. I stayed strong for my mom, she didn't deserve a daughter who cried for days one end and couldn't talk to her for more than ten seconds.

It was a Friday evening in June and my dad, Mel, and I were in my mom's room. School had ended two days ago, so we were free of studies, uniforms, and everything that come with school.

My parents were talking softly, while Mel and I just sat there, trying to cherish the time we had with our mom. I saw my dad kiss my mom on the forehead, and he sat down on the chair by the wall. The nurse came in briefly to give my mom some fluids after she started coughing.

When the nurse left, Melanie went and sat next to my dad while my mom beckoned me over. I went over to her, and sat down in the chair where my dad was sitting when he was speaking with her.

"Bella," my mom said. She took a deep breath. "I don't know how long I'll be here, but I want you to know I love you. You're anything and everything a mother could ask for, you and Melanie." She looked at Melanie, and smiled. "I want you to make Melanie into the wonderful young woman you are today. Take care of her. Make me proud. Make sure that you teach your father how to cook." She grinned. "And always remember that I love you, all three of you, forever and always." She smiled, squeezed my hand, and closed her eyes.

I sucked in a deep breath, and whispered, "I love you too." I softly heard my sister and dad say the same thing.

Suddenly, I saw the EKG machine go wild. My eyes widened, and my dad stood up hurriedly. A few doctors and nurses came rushing in, trying to do something for my mom.

The machine stuttered, and then… a flat line.

My mom was… dead.

She was gone.

And a part of me was gone with her, too.

**AN: Well, that's that. I really cried while writing this. I hope you enjoyed to an extent, and hopefully you won't be too mad that there really wasn't any Edward in this.**

**Next chapter: Age 15 **

**Please review this time. I have about 500 hits and 15 reviews! Not fair, haha. But really, I would greatly appreciate them, thanks.**


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: Well, everyone I hope you enjoyed chapter 2. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed. There's not really much to say except- enjoy!**

**Live, Laugh, Love**

_Bella's POV_

Age 15

"So Lynn, now you would multiply the square root of 289 by the square root of 100. So it would be 17 times 10. Got it?" I asked the thirteen year old girl.

I was tutoring Lynn at Sylvan where I got a summer job after some teacher recommendations. Instead of working at a store or babysitting, this allowed me to learn how to work with kids and learn things myself at the same time.

After my mother died, it was really hard to get back into focus after that summer ended. I turned fourteen that September, but I was still the youngest kid in my grade. I got all my schoolwork done and did well on tests, but I didn't do any extra-curricular activities.

Mel, however, got back into soccer that next year and recovered quickly. It took me longer because I was so attached to my mom.

My poor father still worked and mourned over the loss of his wife. He took us wherever we needed to go, and was still the perfect dad, even if our mom wasn't by his side.

Although the loss of my mother left a huge hole in my heart, I know she wouldn't want us mourning of her for the rest of our lives. She would want us to remember her by being the best we can be; for her.

My friends were very supporting. I was surprised to see that Edward was a very compassionate person, he was the one who helped me the most.

I was basically locked in my room after my mother's funeral. That didn't prove to do anyone good, so I slowly started to open up again.

Alice and I started hanging out again. Emmett started playing jokes on me. Edward and I started the battle of the wits. Dad and I went for tennis every weekend. Melanie and I started arguing.

But I think part of that was due to hormones.

Life overall was getting better, and I think that was the best way to go. I didn't want to be a girl who shut herself away from the whole world and started drugs or anything. I did have my weak spots, all of us did, but I didn't let that stop me. I was actually able to mention my mother without breaking down into sobs.

I wanted to keep my friends, my family, and live a life that was meant to be. And I would do it all for my mom.

Lynn's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "So, the answer would be 170, right?" She looked like she was deep in concentration.

I smiled, "Yes, Lynn, you're right."

She opened her eyes and smiled a wide smile. "Really?"

I smiled again and nodded, "Really."

Not only was there a sense of accomplishment for the kid I'm helping, but there's one for me too. It reminds me of when I was struggling through a math problem, and I practiced some with my dad and got them right. It felt good, which I'm sure was the same feeling Lynn had right now.

I helped Lynn with some more problems until it was noon and her session was over. Most of these kids were struggling in class during the school year, so they came to Sylvan for proper teaching in those subjects. Since Forks had all prep schools, kids who struggled were required to take summer classes. I tutored a few more kids for a couple of hours until I was done.

I went to sign out with the administrator, Mrs. Neilson. She was elderly, and really nice.

"Bella dear, how was your day?" She asked with a smile.

I returned the smile. "It was wonderful, Mrs. N, all of the kids cooperated."

"Wonderful. Your paycheck will be mailed out to you this Friday, so expect it by the weekend."

"Oh, thank you," I said.

"No problem, Bella. I don't know what we would do without you!"

I blushed. "Thanks Mrs. N. It really warms my heart knowing that I am of some help here," I said. I looked at my watch. It was already 2:30. "I better get going. Thank you!"

"Your welcome, dear. Have a great day!"

I walked out into the parking lot, in the surprising sun. Forks wasn't a place for sun, but this was a pleasant surprise.

I walked over to my navy blue Lexus. I was only 15, but the state of Washington allowed kids with permits to drive, even without adults. I never really understood the logic behind that, but it was fine by me.

When she was alive, my mom had a black Lexus. It was an 01' model, and so when I turned 15 my dad traded that in for a navy blue Lexus. I was ecstatic when I got it, but also guilty that my dad spent money on me. Even though he traded it in, I was pretty sure he had to pay a couple thousand dollars extra because it was this year's model.

Our family has always been pretty steady finance wise, even after my mom died. My dad owns a law firm, and he gets payed extremely well for that. My mom's vet clinic was taken over by her colleague, but there were still monthly checks coming in because my mom still was the owner of the place.

I also had taken up a summer job, even if I didn't have to, but I thought that it would be for the better. My mom already had hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank for Mel and my trust funds, and my dad had a similar account.

My dad said I could spend the money I earned any way I wanted, but refused and put it into my own bank account. I was very simple and didn't see the need for many things. I could have been spoiled if I wanted to, but avoided that situation. The balance was currently five thousand dollars because of interest and I was payed really well for my job.

I loved my car, and I was responsible with it. My dad trusted me, and I was glad I had his trust. I was actually supposed to pick Mel up from soccer camp today, like I did every day.

I drove over to the soccer field where they were playing. I was waiting in the car, waiting for Mel to come in. I saw her run up to the car and get in swiftly. She seemed to be in a hurry.

"Hey Mel," I told my 12 year old sister.

"Hi Bella," she breathed. I put the car into reverse and got onto the main road heading home.

It was unusually silent. Mel was usually telling me how she scored the most goals and whatnot.

"I have a problem," she finally said.

"What is it?" I asked, starting to panic. I cared about my sister a lot, and I couldn't see her in trouble.

"I… um… I," she stuttered.

I waited.

"I got my period," she finally blurted.

I gasped and looked at her. "You were afraid of telling me _that_?" I cracked a smile.

She huffed. "What was I supposed to do? Tell dad? I don't think so!"

I giggled. "Oh Mel, you're getting older. Its okay. I'm here for you. When we get home, go shower up. I'll tell you what you need to do after that," I said softly. I knew this was embarrassing for her.

She actually smiled. "Thanks Bella."

I smiled back, "You're welcome, Mel."

--

Truthfully, it was kind of awkward for me too, explaining to Melanie about, er, "girl things".

Mel is really sporty, and so she isn't all that concerned. I thought that it was time to start wearing a bra, so I took her to the Port Angeles mall, which was an hour away. She was scared that she would meet someone if we went to the malls nearby.

Mel and I are really close as sisters, and this shopping trip doubled as bonding time, too. Surprisingly, Mel cooperated with me the whole trip.

When we got home, Mel went to her room to put her things away, while I went to the phone and looked to see if anyone called. The answering machine had zero messages, so I decided to call my dad.

After two rings, he picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey dad," I said.

"Hey kiddo. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much. Mel and I went to the mall for a while, and we just got home. When does your office close?"

"I'm on my way home right now," he said.

"Okay, great. What do you want me to make for dinner?" I really enjoyed cooking. It was something I got from my mom.

"You don't have to Bella. I know you must be tired after work," my dad sounded concern.

"It's no problem dad. I love cooking. Besides, you can't cook to save your life," I joked.

He laughed. "Make your favorite, Bella."

"Okay, dad. Talk to you later, love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

And so I went on to make my mother's favorite dish, vegetarian lasagna. My mom was a vegetarian, and so she carried that on to me. It was by choice; I enjoyed being vegetarian.

Dad came home, and our family of three talked happily. And we knew that our fourth member was looking down upon us, still in our hearts.

--

It was six o'clock on a sunny Saturday morning, and I was in my room, doing yoga exercises. Yoga helped me relax, and stay fit. We weren't all graced with a ridiculously low metabolism like Mel. My mom used to do yoga every day, and that's why she was so content and satisfied throughout the day.

My sister and dad like to sleep in, though. Dad had work today, but otherwise he would probably sleeping until ten in the morning. My mom always used to scold him when he did that, but she knew he wouldn't change, and laughed it off.

I was in the middle of my fourth yoga exercise when the sound of my phone ringing threw me out of my trance.

I jumped up to get it, realizing it was Alice. "Hey, Alice," I said.

"Hi Bella!" I heard her excited voice on the other side.

"Alice, why are you calling at," I looked at the clock, "6:24 in the morning?"

"Oh hush, I know that you are awake," she said. "You were probably doing your yoga exercises."

I huffed. "Okay, I was. Anyway, is there a reason to why you called?"

Her sparkly tone came back. "Yes! I was wondering if you and Mel wanted to come over today to hang out! We have some new people moving into the street between the ones we live on."

We all lived in a subdivision called Mist Wood, so we lived two streets down from the Cullen's.

"Mel has a soccer tournament in Olympia. It's players and coaches only, family can't go because of space. I'll have to check up with my dad after I drop her off. It's an overnight thing," I said.

"Sure thing, Bella. Call me after you talk to your dad!" Alice said.

"Okay, talk to you later. Bye," I said.

"Bye!"

I called my dad at work, and he said that he had already met the Hale's, the new family that moved in. Mr. Hale worked with my dad, and he and his wife had two children that were around our age.

My dad said they were really nice, and he would like it if I went with Alice to go and say hello.

After I dropped off Mel for her tournament and wished her good luck, I went straight for the Cullen's house. I had been to the Cullen's house since I was a kid.

I got out of my car, and walked over to the front door. It was already open, so I walked in.

Out of nowhere, jumped Alice. "Hey Bella!"

I jumped with a start, but regained my composure quickly. "Hi Alice," I breathed. "You scared me."

"That was the point, silly."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. I was about to say something, when Alice said, "Oh my gosh Bella! I love your outfit!"

I looked at what I was wearing. It was nothing special, just a yellow shirt that said "I'm Green On The Inside", dark wash jeans, and brown flats.

"Thanks," I said.

"We absolutely have to go shopping!"

"Stop right there. I just went to the mall with Mel last week. No more shopping."

"Wait, what? Did I just hear that Bella Swan went to the mall, without complaining?" Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was a big "O".

"I'll tell you the real reason why, but we have to be in your room."

She looked at me for a second, and dashed up the stairs, with me close behind. When we got to Alice's room, we sat on her bed and I told her about Mel. When I was done, she was squealing.

"Our little Melanie is finally growing up!" She was bouncing up and down. Mel was dubbed as our "baby" between our group of friends.

I smiled. "I know. It's pretty exciting."

We talked back and forth about our lives and whatnot, when I finally realized that we had yet to go and introduce ourselves to the Hale's.

As we were walking down the stairs, I noticed that there was no one in the house except us. "Alice, where is everybody?"

"Oh. Emmett and Edward are playing some video game, and mom and dad are both at work."

We decided we would take my car, since it started raining as we got out of the front door. We pulled up to the Hale's residence in no less than five minutes. They now occupied the three story light brown brick house where an elderly couple used to live.

We got out of the car, and Alice and I went up to the front door. Alice rang the doorbell, and a tall, blonde woman opened the door. This must be Mrs. Hale.

"How may I help you girls?" she asked with a genuine smile, meeting her light blue eyes.

I smiled and extended my hand. "I'm Bella Swan. I live a street down from you. I thought I would introduce myself with Alice here," I motioned to Alice.

Alice smiled and introduced herself also. "Would you girls like to come in?" she asked.

Alice answered for us, "Sure."

Although the Hale's just moved in, their house was furnished beautifully. "You have a beautiful home," I said, while following Mrs. Hale to the living room.

"Thank you dear," she said as we sat down. "Now tell me Bella, you're the daughter of Charlie Swan, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hale," I said.

"Mrs. Hale is my mother. Call me Anne."

I smiled. "Okay, Anne."

She laughed. "I've heard a lot of good things about you, Bella. And Alice, you're mother is Esme Cullen, am I correct?"

Alice smiled. "Yup, that's her."

We talked for a while. I told Anne about Melanie, and Alice told her about Emmett and Edward. Anne was a very nice person. She told us that her family moved to Forks from Sacramento, California. She owned a bakery shop in Port Angeles and Seattle, and her husband was a lawyer who worked with my dad. She had two children, Jasper and Rosalie. Jasper was in our grade, while Rosalie was a year older.

"Where are they?" Alice asked.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry girls. I think Rose is upstairs, and Jasper, I think he's playing video games with your brothers Alice," she went to the bottom of the stairs, and called, "Rose! Come down here!"

Alice and I looked at each other, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Rosalie. "Coming mom!" We heard a voice say and then the padding of feet walking down the stairs.

Alice and I were still on the couch. Suddenly, a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes walked in. She was even taller than her mother, probably about 5' 9". For being 16, that's tall. She was thin and curvy. I felt my self esteem drop a little when I saw her.

I stood up. "Hi Rosalie, I'm Bella Swan," and extended my hand with a smile.

She returned the smile and shook my hand, "I guess you already know my name, so there's no point in telling you."

I laughed softly. She was nice, and that was good. The last thing I need is a snobby girl sauntering all over the place.

Alice and Rosalie hit it off well too, and suddenly Alice asked Rose, as she like to be called, "Do you want to come over to my house with Bella and I? My brother's are there, and we haven't met Jasper yet."

Rosalie agreed, "Sure."

Rose told her mom that she was coming over to the Cullen's with us, and then we all got into my car. Rose got into the passenger seat while Alice got into the backseat.

On our way there, Rose told us that she played soccer, and enjoyed school to an extent. I was really happy that we had another person that lived by us who we could hang out with.

When we got into the Cullen's house, all three of us went straight for the game room where we supposed the others were.

Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were all playing Halo III. They looked like they were deep in concentration, and they didn't hear us come in. Alice and I exchanged a glance, and suddenly Alice yelled, "We're home!"

That suddenly took them out of their trance because they jumped up and looked at us. I saw Emmett's eyes go wide, probably at the sight of Rosalie.

I also saw Jasper. He was striking with sapphire blue eyes and messy blonde hair. He seemed to be very tall, also. I guess it was the Hale gene.

Edward looked like his normal self. Things didn't really phase him that much. His messy auburn hair was still messy, yet perfect at the same time. He was really tall too, about a six inches taller than me. And his eyes were the most beautiful shade of green. He was probably the most gorgeous boy you would ever see in your lifetime.

Before my mom died, Edward and my relationship was carefree and we basically said anything we wanted to each other.

Now, Edward is more selective in what he says. It's almost as if he is scared that he would say something wrong. I find it sweet, but I don't want him to act differently around me. He is extremely compassionate. When my mom died, Edward was always there for me. Often times, he held me until we both fell asleep. His joking was very subtle and good-natured.

Edward and I see each other merely as friends. When we started high school last year, I'm serious, there were seniors who had crushes on him. At school, Edward is popular, but not cocky. Mostly because he is a really good athlete and extremely smart. And he is not cocky because Carlisle and Esme would probably kill him if he was. He was charismatic and modest, and an overall compelling person.

There is still that competitive front we have when it comes to school, but out of school we are great friends. But we are known to have sharp and witty arguments once in a while.

We introduced ourselves to Jasper, and Rose introduced herself to Emmett and Edward. I looked at Alice, and her eyes seemed to be glazed over a bit. I followed her gaze, and my eyes went straight to Jasper.

"Looks like someone has a crush," I sang.

Alice gasped and looked at me. "I do not!"

"You do, Alice, its quite obvious."

"It is?" She asked, her shoulders drooping a little.

"Don't worry, Alice. I won't say a word."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Go talk to him," I urged.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said. "If I'm not mistaken, he looks like a deer in the headlights, too."

Alice smiled, rolled her eyes, and then walked over to Jasper and started making small talk.

I noticed Rosalie and Emmett playing Halo III, and laughed mentally. Rose can do anything, from what I saw so far, and Emmett would probably just go along with anything she said.

I saw Edward on the couch flipping through a magazine. I went and sat next to him. When he noticed my presence, he smiled at me, and put the magazine back on the table.

"So…" he said. This was usually how we started our conversations.

"Nice weather, huh?" I said.

"Yeah. Nice and rainy. Since that's usually what happens in Forks." He grinned at me.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "I try to start a conversation, and there you are, making smart-aleck comments."

"Sorry Bella. Forgive me, please?" I looked at him and he was making such an adorable face, his eyes wide.

I smiled. "You're forgiven, Edward."

"Thanks Bella, you're the best friend anyone could have, you know that?" His eyes were dancing with humor, and I knew he was messing around again.

"Aw Eddie, you're so cute, you know that?" And I pinched his cheeks, like your aunt would do after not seeing you for a long time. I laughed, teasing him.

"Aw man," I heard him say to himself. "Cute?" He squeaked.

**AN: So there's chapter 3! It's much longer than my others, since I had no school today because of flooding. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me a while to do, and I would appreciate it if you review! They motivate me so much to write more. Thanks again! **

**Next chapter: Age 17**


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: Wow, I got many more reviews for chapter 3. I am really ecstatic about it! My beta and I were on a roll with ideas, so I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you liked the last one! **

**P.S. Anyone else enjoy Edward's little ego blow at the end? I thought it was kind of funny, haha. **

**Live, Laugh, Love**

_Bella's POV_

**Age 17**

The past few years went surprisingly well. It's been four hears since the death of my mother, but at times I feel as if she is still here. Our family has been coping well, and things were going smoothly. The new school year started, and Alice, Edward, Jasper, and I were seniors. Melanie was a junior.

Emmett had started college two years ago, and Rose started last year. They ended up going out in Emmett's senior year, and Rose went to the same college as him. So now, they were in the same college since Rose started college last year.

We were currently in the middle of the school year, and I was really stressed in getting good grades because I had to start filling out college applications pretty soon. I really wanted to get into Cambridge Law School in England. I was working really hard throughout my high school years. Alice often said I needed to "live a little".

It was around February, and midterms had just finished. I was relieved that we would not have to start studying for finals for a month or so.

I had picked up tennis again two years ago. It had become my "signature" sport, as dad put it. I was in the quarterfinals for the state championship this weekend. I was a little nervous, but dad said it was normal.

It was kind of nerve-racking to see Melanie grow up so quickly. She was fourteen years old, and a great soccer player. Her team made it to the state finals last year, and she was the youngest player on the team. My dad and her practiced a lot, which made her really good since my dad played when he was in college.

Melanie was beautiful, to say the least. She had inherited my parents best features. She was tall, like my dad, almost taller than me. She had the most gorgeous hazel eyes and caramel colored hair like my mom. She had dimples from my dad and a beautiful smile from my mom.

Sigh. It was as if everyone in my family was beautiful, except me. My dad was tall and striking, my mom was gracefully beautiful, and Mel was just plain gorgeous. I, on the other hand, had chocolate brown eyes, and wavy brown hair, with a few flecks of red in it. My skin was really pale, unlike the rest of my family. My mom, dad, and sister all had a soft natural tan, since our grandparents were Greek. I still don't get why I'm as pale as snow, though.

Huh. Maybe I'm adopted. But, those birth videos… I shuddered. Never mind, I doubt I'm adopted, those were definitely mine.

Saturday rolled by quickly, and it was the day of the tennis quarterfinals. We had to go to Seattle for the tournament, so I was awake at six, as usual. Since it was winter, the courts I were playing in were inside. My dad and Mel were coming with me, obviously to cheer me on. Dad was really proud that I was an avid tennis player, since my mom played doubles with Esme in college.

I got my tennis bag consisting of my racket, change of clothes, and personal hygiene supplies, and we were in Seattle within two hours. Alice called me this morning and told me to call her when I was done. She had a ballet concert today, otherwise she would have come. She always comes to support me, that loyal pixie.

I warmed up with my dad, who was also my coach, and stepped out onto center court. I personally didn't like center court because the most people always came to that match.

"Good luck, kiddo. You can beat her," my dad said before I went to the court.

"Yeah Bella, you'll do great," Mel said. I hugged both of them, took a deep breath, and walked onto the court.

My opponent was 18-year old Addie Bloomberg. She was supposed to have been really good. I didn't freak out, but it put me a little bit on edge.

A long story told short, I won the game in three straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, and 6-3. The crowd was quite supportive, and I even saw some familiar faces from Forks.

After the award ceremony, I went to the locker room, showered up, and wore some warm clothes because of the snow outside. When I got out, I saw my dad and sister both with smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations!" My dad said, and kissed my forehead. "I knew you could do it."

"Yeah Bella! You crushed her out there!" Mel added.

I laughed. "Thank you both. Now, let's go home, I need some rest!"

They both laughed, while we walked to the car. We were home in an hour, and I went straight to my room to display my medal. I looked at my shelf. _Now all I need is the tournament trophy, and it'll be perfect._ I took a deep breath to calm myself. _Let's get past the semis, first._

I smiled, and then remembered I had to call Alice. The phone rang twice until I heard, "Hello?"

"Hi Alice," I said. "How was your concert?" Alice was great at ballet, she was graceful and petite.

"It was great, actua-- Now wait missy, I told you to call me to tell me about _your_ tournament! How'd it go?"

I sighed. "I won, Alice," I said, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

"Ooh Bella! That's awesome, now all you have to do is beat the crap out of the unlucky person who plays you at the semis, and you'll be in the _final_!" She sang. Gosh, Alice can be so blunt sometimes.

I laughed. "Sure, Alice."

In the background I heard footsteps, and then a voice whispering, "Bella won?" I recognized it as Esme's voice.

"Yeah," Alice whispered back.

"Congratulations Bella!" I heard Esme say on the other side.

"Thanks, Esme!" I laughed.

I looked at the time. "Hey Alice, I have to go eat dinner, and then work on my English report. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait, we have an English report?" I could hear her panic.

"Well, I do-"

I was interrupted by Alice. "Oh yeah, you're in _AP, _Miss Smarty Pants," I could almost hear her roll her eyes on the other side.

"Yes Alice, I am. And so is your brother, so no need to get miffed about it," I giggled.

I heard her tinkling laugh. "Hey Edward, did you do your English report?" I heard her yell.

"What? That's due in two weeks!" I heard his voice say back. He sounded distracted, probably playing video games.

Alice's voice went back to normal level. "Bella, how many times have I told you to _not_ do your homework so damn early!"

Before I could answer, I heard Esme's voice. "Alice, language!"

I giggled. "Whatever, Alice. Bye," I sang, still laughing.

"Wait, no-" I shut the phone before she could argue any further. Laughing and rolling my eyes, I quickly e-mailed her and told her I was busy. We were so carefree with each other, it wasn't even funny.

--

The past few weeks were getting tougher, because of the final exams coming up this month. Yesterday, we got a foreign exchange student from Italy. Her name was Giada Amoretti.

To say she was beautiful was an understatement. Giada was gorgeous. Her beauty was the type that could compete with Rosalie's. She had naturally tanned skin, beautiful chocolate brown hair, deep blue sapphire eyes, and a height of about 5' 10". She was thin, but not scrawny. More like supermodel type thin.

When I talked to her, she was really sweet to me. Many girls said that she was rude and snobby, but I think they had a complex, and probably were jealous. I really didn't let it phase me. Some people were naturally beautiful, others weren't. I was the latter of the two, but really didn't let it affect me. I think my brains would take me far enough in life. Hopefully.

When I talked to Giada, she seemed to be really nervous. Her English was okay, but there was still a thick Italian accent. I tried to reassure her that everything would be fine, but she just smiled and nodded. I don't think she bought it completely, but I didn't blame her, either.

Edward was her guide for the time she was at Forks Prep School. He was elected to be the student body president, so he was in charge of helping new students.

Edward and my relationship basically stayed the same. We were great friends, and that was about it. He had utterly skipped the "awkward" phase of adolescence. When everyone was getting acne, braces, and glasses, of course, _he _remained gorgeous through it all. His teeth were naturally perfect, his face flawless, and was really fit because of basketball and track.

Life was unfair.

I was walking down the hallway, and saw Alice. She walked -no, bounced- right up to me. "Hey Bella!"

I smiled, opening my locker, "Hi Alice."

"So, did you hear that Maria is going to try to get Giada to sit with her at lunch?" Alice asked, leaning against the row of lockers.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Alice, lunch is next period, how would you know this?"

"I heard it in the bathroom," she said.

I looked at her, "Why would she want Giada to sit by her?"

"Well, she said that since Giada is really pretty, all the guys would want to sit at that table, and she and her friends would get more attention from them."

I rolled my eyes, "That's… immature."

"I know."

"But I kind of feel bad for Giada. She probably won't know what's going on, and they'll take advantage of that," I felt bad for her. Maria and her friends weren't the nicest of people.

Maria Cortes was one of the more popular girls. She was stuck up and rude, but she was really pretty. Maria stood at about 5' 10", had long black hair, olive skin, and a flawless face with light green eyes. She had her friends who were Jessica and Lauren. They were like her. Too big for their boots.

Maria also had a thing for Jasper. I felt bad for him, Jasper was a great guy, and he doesn't deserve someone like Maria. I felt even worse for Alice, because she was infatuated with Jasper the minute she set her eyes on him. But, I wasn't one to get involved, things would fall in place when they were meant to.

"We should have her sit with us," Alice said, while we were walking to lunch.

"Most definitely."

We walked in the cafeteria, got our food, and Alice and I were sitting with Angela, Carmen, and some other friends of ours. We saw Giada walk in a few minutes later.

Edward was sitting with Jasper, and the "jocks". He got up to have her sit with them, but I made eye contact with Edward, and mouthed 'I've got this'. He smiled, nodded, and sat back down.

Giada got her lunch, and came over to sit by us. When she sat down, I smiled at her, and Alice introduced her to all of out friends. "I knew you probably were fed up of my brother by now, so I thought you should sit with us," Alice said to Giada. "And, stay away from Maria and her friends. They're bad news."

Giada's eyes widened briefly, and she nodded her head in understanding. "So Giada, what's your family at home like?"

"I live with my parents and two brothers. One is 14, and the other is 21."

"Ooh, Italian boys," I heard Alice whisper.

I elbowed her and gave her a _what the heck _look. She just smiled sheepishly, while rubbing her arm.

Alice and I talked to Giada and learned more about her. She was a really interesting person, and I was glad I had the opportunity to meet her.

Last period ended quickly, and I got my book bag and walked out to my car, after saying bye to Alice and Giada. Alice went home in her yellow Porsche, which she got last year, and Giada's host mother picked her up from school.

"Bella!" I turned around to see Edward walking towards me.

I smiled. "Oh hey Edward."

He grinned. "Listen, I was wondering why you didn't let Giada sit by us at lunch today," he looked confused.

I smiled. "I don't think Giada would have wanted to sit by a bunch of jocks at lunch, who do nothing but ogle at her the whole period. Also, your sister and I thought that she could take a break from you. I mean, who wants to see you every single minute of the day?" I was teasing now, a smile forming on my face.

He seemed to believe me. "Huh?" He asked warily, his shoulders drooping a little.

"Oh Edward," I sighed. "For someone so smart, you could be so dumb. No one gets sick of you. Girls practically trip over their own feet in attempt for you to look their way."

He gave me a glorious crooked smile, which for some reason made my breathing hitch a little. _Weird._ But I thought nothing of it. "You sure know how to boost a guy's ego, Bella."

"Yeah, yeah," I laughed.

"By the way, I heard you won at the quarterfinals. Congrats."

"Thanks. And I heard that your b-ball team is going to conference. _Again._"

"Yeah, well, with me as captain…" his teasing tone came back.

I rolled my eyes lightheartedly. "Whatever, Edward. See you tomorrow." And with that I started to get in my car.

"Bye Bella," He crooned, in his velvety voice, and got into his car. _Stupid, shiny, Volvo owner._

--

"Bella! Guess what?" Alice asked me, while I was attempting to type up my resume, or CV.

"What?" I asked, distracted.

"Well… Emmett and Rosalie are coming into town for the school dance!"

"Really? That's great," I said. I was still distracted with my CV.

"I know! I was thinking that all three of us could go after graduation and get dresses…" The rest was a bunch of words I didn't really hear. I felt bad for ignoring Alice like that, but I really needed to get my CV typed up.

I won in the semifinal round for tennis, and was going to the finals. Little did I realize that she mentioned school dance, which was on the same day as my final tennis tournament.

--

Our graduation ceremony came early this year. The teachers wanted to get it over with so we could finish up end of the year activities, and the dance would be after the graduation ceremony.

A few days ago, I realized that my tennis tournament was on the same day as the school dance. I didn't tell any of my friends, not even Mel. Alice would have probably made everyone skip the dance and come to my tourney, but I didn't want her to do that just for me.

I told my dad not to tell Mel about the dance and tennis conflict. She was going to the dance to, since it was all grades, plus graduated classes from year before. I really didn't want to go anyway, I wasn't one for dances, and so it really didn't bother me.

Edward and I both tied for valedictorian. Everyone was really proud of us, and I was really happy that we both got to share the title.

"Hey Bella," Alice said to me during lunch.

"Yeah," I said.

"Did someone ask you to the dance yet?"

I froze for a second, but then resumed talking. "Uh… no. A couple people asked me, but I didn't really want to go with them," I didn't give out to much information.

"You know who I think you should go with?" Alice asked anxiously.

I rolled my eyes. "Who, Alice?" She was always trying to set me up with one person or another.

"My brother," she smiled.

I almost choked on my water. "Excuse me?" I squeaked.

"My. Brother. Edward." She literally spelled out every letter for me.

"Uh, Alice?" I asked. "Are you crazy, or have you had too much caffeine lately? Because as long as I can remember, Edward and I don't like each other like that."

She scoffed. "Gosh, Bella. You two make an adorable couple. Even if you bicker all the time."

"No, Alice. Besides, I don't think he would _want_ to go with me. He should go with someone like," I looked around the cafeteria, and saw Giada laughing with Edward and his friends. I guess she wanted to sit by them today. "Giada. They make the most gorgeous couple ever," I said it as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, please Bella-" Alice was cut off by the bell ringing. She narrowed her eyes at me. "We _will_ continue this conversation later."

I laughed. "Sure, Alice."

Going with Edward to the dance didn't seem like such a bad idea. I mean we were only friends. But first of all, he was out of my league. And second, I didn't want to ruin our friendship over a lame dance.

Mel walked in after soccer practice an hour after I got home. "Bella, guess who asked me to the dance?" She seemed excited.

I was reading a book, since I really didn't have any end of the year homework. "Who, Mel?" I put my book down.

"Ethan!" Ethan was the most popular guy in Mel's grade. She was happy, yet I was worried.

"Mel, he's a player; you know that. I'm not really sure about this," I hesitated.

"Oh, Bella. He's really sweet. Please?" She pouted.

I sighed. "Fine, but dad will be hearing about this, Mel."

"Oh, whatever. Thanks, though! I have to get a dress. Do you think you could take me to the mall this weekend?"

"Actually, Mel I was going to practice some tenn-"

"Please, Bella? You became valedictorian, finished your CV, have no more homework, what else is there for you to do?"

"Ugh, fine." I wasn't about to let her know that the tennis tournament was on the same day as the dance.

--

"What Bella!" Alice screeched. "How could you _not_ tell us this!"

I was in Alice's room with her and Rose, who had arrived a day ago. "Well Alice," I started out, a little scared of the glare she was giving me. "I didn't want you to not go to the dance because of me. I knew if I told you, then you would bail on the dance and watch me. I would have felt really guilty, so I decided not to say anything."

"Bella, how could you be so selfless?" Rose asked softly.

"I'm not selfless," I defended myself. "I'm… I'm…" I sighed, not able to think of anything to say.

"Bella, the dance is tomorrow, and everyone has a date. Rose and Emmett. Mel and Ethan. Jasper and _Maria,_" Alice snarled her name. "Me and Sebastian. Edward and Giada."

Sebastian was a really sweet guy who asked Alice to the dance a few days ago. He had gray eyes, and dark brown hair. He was tall and tanned, too. And he was a nice guy. But I still thought that Alice and Jasper should have gone together.

Unfortunately for Jasper, there were a bunch of girls asking him. Everyone said that he and Maria made a good couple, and so he asked her. Poor guy.

Edward asked Giada a week ago. There were a bunch of guys asking her, and he said wouldn't feel right if one of those players took her. He was afraid they would take advantage of her, and she wouldn't be able to defend herself. Edward was really thoughtful and considerate. Plus, I think they made a gorgeous couple.

Although lately, when I'd been seeing them together, I felt a little tug in my heart. It felt kind of weird, but I just shrugged it off.

"Alice. I told you already. I'm not one for dances, and I want all of you to have a good time."

"But, Bella-"

"Alice, I told you I can't go. Mel is going. I told her I couldn't go yesterday. She acted like you guys, but I really have to win this."

"Oh whatever, Bella. We still have to get dresses for ourselves. The least you could do is come with us to the mall and critique our outfits," Rose said.

I smiled, happy that they weren't mad anymore. "Sure guys." And we all got into Rose's car and headed for the mall.

--

"So what's this I hear about you not going tonight?" Edward asked.

We were watching some cheesy horror movie, since everyone had to start getting ready in a few hours. Mel had all of her things here since we slept over last week, so she was getting ready with Alice and Rose. My tennis tourney started at seven in the evening, just like the dance, so dad and I were leaving after Mel and the others left. Luckily, it was held about half an hour out of Forks, in the largest tennis arena in Washington.

"I have my tennis tournament today," I said.

"Oh," Realization seemed to have hit him.

"Where have you been these past few days? Thinking about _Giada?_" I smiled, teasing him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Bella."

"But really, she's great, Edward. You're lucky to have her," my tone was sincere.

He looked at me and smiled his crooked smile. My heartbeat slowed down for a second and went back to normal. "Thanks Bella."

After a few minutes of watching the movie, Edward suddenly said, "Hey, catch." He threw a piece of popcorn, and I caught it in my mouth.

"It never gets old," I laughed.

Suddenly, we heard Alice's voice from the top of the stairs. "Bella, we need your help getting ready. Edward, go get dressed!"

Edward pulled me up along with him. "See you later, Eddie." I said.

"Bye, Izzy."

I walked up the stairs. Mel, Alice, and Rose were all frantically running around to get ready. I walked up to them. "Calm down, girls," I instructed. "Mel, you go in the bathroom and get your dress on. Alice, go get the pair of shoes you wanted to wear, while I curl your hair, Rose."

Alice sighed. "Gosh Bella, I don't know what we would do without you."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. Now go do what I told you," I said. She stuck her tongue out at me, but did what I told her.

By the end of everything, it was six. Mel was wearing a white dress that showed off her amazing figure. Rose was wearing a strapless red dress, while Alice was wearing a black and white polka dotted dress. They all looked beautiful, and their dates would be arriving in half-an-hour. I called my dad and told him that I would be home by six thirty, so I could get ready for my tournament.

Emmett and Edward still seemed to be getting ready, and Edward looked rushed because he had to pick up Giada.

I was leaning against the doorway admiring how beautiful my sister and two best friends looked.

Edward walked in, looking gorgeous. He had a deep blue dress shirt on and black pants. He looked really adorable while fumbling with his tie. "Need some help?" I asked, with a smile.

He looked up and grinned at me. "Yeah," he said softly.

I walked up and started doing his tie. For some reason, I thought he was watching me, but I could have been paranoid. My body had never really been in such close proximity with Edward. I felt some sort of current run through my body, but shook it off. _Its probably just nerves. Final tournament and all._

"Done," I said, and looked up at him.

His face was so close, I never realized how beautiful his eyes were and how flawless his face was. He was gorgeous.

"Thanks, Bella," he smiled that breathtaking smile again. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"You'd probably burn to the ground," I joked. He laughed, and gave me a brief hug. I took that opportunity to breathe in his scent. He smelled really good. Spicy and sweet at the same time.

"Squirt!" I knew that voice all too well. I hadn't seen Emmett since he arrived, because he was out one place or another. Before I knew it, I was wrapped in Emmett's signature bear hugs.

"Nice to see you too Emmett," I laughed. He looked striking in a maroon dress shirt and black pants.

Rose had already told him the story about my tennis tourney, so he told me that I made a good choice by choosing sports over a lame dance, which earned him a slap upside the head.

"Whoa, look at little squirt! She's all grown up!" Emmett addressed Mel, and after that, everyone started to leave for the dance.

"Bye guys! Have a good time!" I tried cheering up Alice and Rose's sullen faces.

"We'll try, But since Miss Bella isn't here, I'm not positive," Alice said.

"The least you could do is wish me good luck," I huffed.

"Good luck Bella! We love you!" I waved to Rose, Alice, and Mel who were getting into cars with their dates.

Edward had gone to get Giada, and I was standing with Esme in the doorway. "Bella sweetheart, you remind me so much of your mother. So caring and selfless."

I smiled at Esme. "Thanks Esme, but I don't think I deserve that title. My mother was an extraordinary person."

"You certainly do deserve it, Bella. I've never seen anyone like you."

"Thanks, Esme," I looked at my watch. "I better get going. I have to be at the tournament at seven."

"Good luck, dear!" I waved and got in my car.

--

The tennis arena, to say the least, was intimidating. My opponent was a twenty year old, and she had won this state title three years in a row. When it was finally time to play, my dad hugged me tightly. "Bella, go out there and give it all you've got. I know you can beat her. Make me proud," he kissed my forehead.

The match started out with Lexi, my opponent, beating me the first set, 4-6. I beat her the next set 6-3. I was serving this point, and the score was tied at 4-4. As I got to the baseline and got prepared to serve, I heard "Go Bella!" From an all too familiar voice.

By my dad in the bleachers, I saw Alice, Jasper, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, and my sister, Melanie. All there to cheer me on.

**AN: Surprise! Maybe not. Haha. Anyway, this was a really long chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully it wasn't too predictable. I spent a long time on this, so reviews would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much, especially those who reviewed last chapter!**

**Next chapter: Continuation of this chapter**


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